


This Guy's In Love With You

by altacc



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Seeking a Friend for The End of the World AU, im sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-10
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 14:16:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9275729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/altacc/pseuds/altacc
Summary: The man’s head snaps toward him. His brown hair’s a mess, his eyes are all bloodshot and there's a bit of snot leaking from his nose but he’s the most beautiful person Dan has ever seen.“What do you want, asshole?”Or the one where the world is ending and these two dicks fall in love.





	1. The Beginning of The End

**Author's Note:**

> So I finally get to write an AU for this movie! I'm so excited, and let me tell you this is definitely not the first draft of the fic, I have about 800 words written put before I scrapped it. Anyways, I hope it's at least readable and if you haven't seen the movie I highly recommend it.
> 
> I do use direct dialogue from the movie but I'm going to change some things so it isn't *exactly* like the movie.

It’s sad really, how pathetic he is sitting here on Arin’s carpet kicking his own ass. Don’t get him wrong it’s a beautiful plush carpet, soft beneath his fingers, a cool blue colour. It’s gorgeous, it really is, but the carpet won’t bring Arin back to him. How can it, it’s just a carpet. That doesn’t stop Dan from tearing threads out of it and collapsing on his back, chest heaving with suppressed sobs. Sorry whines and settles beside him. God, he’s such an idiot. Who lets the love of their life get on a plane and leave when the world is about to end? Stupid idiots, that’s who. He moves his hand to Sorry’s fur and the feel of another sentient being grounds him. The dog’s asleep like they aren’t going to die in 16 hours while listening to some shitty record. God, what a way to go; horribly alone listening to whatever the fuck this is.

Dan pulls himself up off the floor to shuffle over to the box of records in the corner. He’s only halfheartedly looking when he spots a Pink Floyd album. He glances up at the title before he puts the needle down and scoffs. ‘Wish You Were Here,’ of fucking course. Placing the needle on the spinning record, he settles back down beside Sorry, and waits to die without Arin.

The record plays through twice as he lies there. It’s halfway through the title song for the third time, when the apartment goes dark and the music does that thing where it sounds like it’s possessed. Dan groans and goes to light some candles. They give off a kind of glow he’d consider romantic if he wasn’t so horribly alone. Sorry whines in the next room and Dan laughs at the irony.

“Me too, buddy.” He says to the little dog, but Sorry doesn’t even acknowledge his presence he just stares ahead of himself and continues to whine.

“What is it?” He follows the line of his stare and there he stands. Arin looks just as beautiful as the night he saw him crying on his fire escape.

Dan feels his heart drop into his stomach but he pushes that feeling aside and replaces it with pure relief. He came back, Arin came back when he could’ve spent his last minutes with his family. Chose to come back to his nearly forty, loser neighbour he just happened to travel a few parts of America with. Dan’s shocked but he’s desperately trying to drink the sight of Arin in. The man’s got dried tear tracks on his face, and his hair is a mess, but Dan feels this overwhelming sense of affection for that particular look. There are words burning the tip of his tongue, but before he can say anything Arin sniffs.

“How could you let me go, asshole?”

  
***

They’re parked on the side of the road, him and his wife Linda. They’re sitting in tense silence waiting for any news at all about the space shuttle that could save their lives. Shit gets pretty tense when you could possibly hear news that, yes, you’re going to die. No, not by natural causes but by a giant fucking asteroid headed straight for a planet you thought was unkillable. It’s something Dan thought could only happen in movies. He turns to his wife to laugh about how hilariously movie like their lives are when the classic rock song is cut off by the radio host. Dan’s blood runs cold, and he can feel his hands begin to get clammy. Linda grasps his hand.

_‘Ok, what we’re getting now is-yes they’re saying it was in fact a fire that erupted inside the external tank of the ship exactly 98 seconds after it entered the asteroid field. No one is sure what caused the fire that lead to the massive explosion, killing all 12 crew members and scientists aboard the space shuttle Deliverance, taking with them our last and only hope. Once again if you’re just tuning in the CSA space shuttle “Deliverance” has been destroyed. The final mission to save mankind has failed. The 70 mile asteroid known commonly as “Matilda” is set to collide with Earth in exactly 3 weeks time. And we’ll be bringing you up to the minute coverage of our countdown to the end of days, along with all your classic rock favourites. This is Q107.2.’_

Dan starts laughing. Through his laughter he can hear Linda scoff with disgust before she’s climbing out of the car are darting across the park to who knows where. His laughter kinda dies off at that point, so he just puts the car in drive and goes home.

There’s the sound of a door being slammed open as he ascends the stairs and he vaguely recalls the younger couple who live downstairs. Well, not young per se just younger than himself. He can hear shouting and he catches a glimpse of somebody with short brown hair storming off in the opposite direction of their apartment. Dan takes a glance at the door only to see some dude with bright red dyed hair staring back at him.

“What the fuck do you want?” Red snarls, before slamming the door.

“O-Kay.” He says to the empty stairwell.

There’s a rush of anger as he unlocks the door to his apartment and sees all of Linda’s stuff scattered around. God, all her shit lying around and their apartment still doesn’t look lived in. He heads to their bedroom and rips all her stuff from the closet, tossing it out the window and onto the fire escape. He screams once, then just doesn’t have any energy left. Grabbing a box from the top shelf of the closet he heads to the living room. The box contains bits and pieces of stuff he’s kept over the years. The Rush guitar pick one of his buddies was able to get him, his high school yearbook, a few knick knacks, and finally a picture.

It’s of him and his high school sweetheart, Brian Wecht. Dan thought him and Brian would be together forever as do all teenagers but there was just something about the way him and Brian we around each other that it was like a second nature. Of course nobody knew they were dating then, shit was harder back then but neither of them minded keeping it between the two of them. Dan really loved him, more than he ever loved Linda, he probably still loves Brian if he’s being totally honest with himself. He looks at the picture again and imagines Brian now. Would he have gray hair? Wrinkles? Those crinkles that appear around your eyes from having a life full of laughter and smiles? He smiles sadly and puts all the stuff back in the box, his gaze lingering awhile longer on the photo.

***

The next two days at work put him through the ringer as there are a total of six people working, 3 of which just sit at their desk and cry all day until quitting time. He only gets one call and it’s from some asshole who asks him through giggles if the insurance they offer covers asteroids. It kind all hits him then, no their fucking insurance doesn’t cover asteroids, yes you’re gonna die, probably alone too and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. He’s never going to see the love of his life ever again, never get to hold Brian’s hand, or make up half ass comedy songs with him, he’s going to die bitter and alone. He halfheartedly laughs in response before he hangs up and immediately throws up in his trashcan.

That’s just the first day. The next day he pulls into his parking spot, and a body immediately crashes into his windshield. After throwing up his breakfast and calling the authorities, he walks home.

Barry is having an end of the world party at his place tonight, and he kindly invited him and Linda to the festivities. Dan decides to go after a mental debate with himself on whether or not it would be worth it to get smashed and maybe fuck a stranger. In the end he vows to avoid alcohol and strangers and decides to go just to hang out with Barry. How bad can this party really be?

***

Okay so the party is definitely really bad. Dan only had one drink and the dude Barry invited to “cheer him up after Linda” definitely wasn’t his type, and also wouldn’t leave him alone. So here he is hiding in Barry’s personal bathroom, knees to his chest in the bathtub hoping to pass through the night unscathed. He hears the door knob jiggle and his heart starts racing. _Please don’t be Ross, please don't be Ross._ He peeks an eye open and sees Barry sitting on the toilet lid.

“Hey Danny,” he says. “Sorry about Ross, I didn’t expect him to come on so strong.”

Dan waves him off. “Nah dude, don’t worry about it, really.”

Barry shrugs and kind of just sits there. After awhile Dan is getting uncomfortable, and he goes to say something to the man next to him before lips are on his. There’s a moment where he’s just frozen, brain trying to process what’s going on before he pushes his friend away. Launching himself out of the bathtub, he darts out of the house and into the night, the cool air raising goosebumps on the exposed skin of his arms. Rubbing some warmth back into them he makes his way to the park Linda abandoned him at.

The park is empty save for two teenagers passionately making out in front of the jungle gym, and Dan gets this overwhelming impulse to just scream. So he does. The teens immediately break apart, and start running toward where he assumes their houses are. His throat hurts, he’s alone, he’s going to die in three weeks, and he doesn’t have motivation to make it home so now he’s going to sleep in the local park like some creep. But the slide he chooses is actually pretty comfortable and it isn’t long until he’s dozing off.

When he awakens the next day, there’s a note in his right hand and a leash in his left. A leash that’s attached to a little dog, and a note that simply reads: Sorry.

***

The rest of the day passes relatively relaxed, he feeds Sorry a meat pie he heats in the microwave and settles down to waste away in front of the television. Flicking through the channels he settles on a rerun of The Simpsons. It’s all reruns and Dan figures nobody wants to put out new shit when nobody’s going to live long enough to see what the plots are going to develop into. He misses watching television with Linda suddenly in that moment. She used to watch those reality shows, which of course were garbage but she got really passionate about them and it makes Dan smile just thinking about it. He quickly skims the guide for something she would’ve watched but nothing immediately catches his eye, so he settles back on The Simpsons.

He’s just about to nod off when he hears a crash from outside his window, and the sound of sobs coming from someone on the fire escape. Making his way over to the window to open it he tries to grab the attention of the person in the pink t shirt crying like it’s nobody's business.

“Hey,” Dan says, when he gets no response he tries again.

“Hey!” The person. The man’s head snaps toward him. His brown hair’s a mess, his eyes are all bloodshot and there's a bit of snot leaking from his nose but he’s the most beautiful person Dan has ever seen.

“What do you want, asshole?”

 


	2. What The Hell, Dude?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s one letter though, that catches Dan’s eye. It’s bright red and has a stamp with an adorable kitten in the corner, it’s also from Brian. His hands are shaking as he opens it, and his eyes flick over it greedily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, sorry I was going to update this way sooner but inspiration didn't hit me until recently.

Dan’s head rears back, and he narrows his eyes

 

“This is  _ my  _ fire escape, dude. If you wanna freeze your ass off out there instead of coming in then be my guest.”

 

At least the guy has the decency to look sheepish as he brushes the hair out of his, cheeks turning pink. Dan steps aside to him the choice, and the dude immediately hops in the windows and stretches out. He’s about Dan’s height, a little chubby with shoulder length brown hair, and brown eyes to match. Turns out his pink t-shirt has Sailor Moon on it, and Dan wonders how young this guy really is. Pink flops down on his, and Dan offers him a few tissues to clean up the mess on face.

 

“So uh,” he feels awkward suddenly. “Why were you crying out there?”

 

Immediately he sees tears well up in the man’s eyes again, and he panics. Waving his arms around he tries to catch the attention of the man in front of him.

 

“Or! Or! You don’t have to tell me! We can just sit here in silence and watch some crappy t.v. How does that sound…?” He trails off not knowing his name.

 

“My loser ex boyfriend ruined my only chance of getting to see my family again. I missed the last flight back to England. And my name is Arin.” Dan’s confused, it must show on his face because he continues.

 

“They were on vacation in England when the shuttle blew up, I figured it would be easier to fly to them instead of all of them coming back here, but now that’s fucked and I’ll never see them again. My brother just had a kid dude, a baby girl and I’ll never get to see her. I don’t even know her  _ name _ .” Arin’s sobbing again. Dan bounces on the balls of his feet not sure if he’d accept comfort from a stranger he just spilled his guts to. 

 

Settling down beside Arin, he wraps an arm around his shoulders and lightly rubs his shoulder with his thumb. This seems to spark something in the brown haired man because he’s collapsing into Dan and soaking his chest with tears. He whispers sweet nothings until Arin’s breath evens out and finally deepens. Leaving Arin to sleep on his tiny ass couch he decides to take a shower and head to bed himself. 

 

***

 

Surprisingly Arin is still there when Dan emerges from his bedroom at noon. He’s asleep using the tiny throw blanket from the couch as a source of warmth but he can still see a slight tremble in his shoulders. Feeling guilty he grabs the giant warm blanket from the bed and tosses across his sleeping form, then starts on brunch. Arin doesn’t stir once while Dan cooks, even when the pans clang together incredibly loudly after he takes one out to cook some eggs. Nor does he flinch when he shatters a glass on the floor and proceeds to step on a shard, get it stuck in his foot, and yell in pain until he’s finally able to pull it out with a pair of tweezers. Dan even vacuums the damn carpet, and turns up the television until it hurts his ears but Arin’s peaceful expression stays the same. 

 

Just when he’s really starting to worry he hears the couch creak and rushes out of his room to see Arin yawn and stretch. 

 

“Dude, Arin, what the fuck? I thought you fell into a coma or something.” Arin shakes his head as he grabs hair tie from his wrist to tie his hair back.

 

“Nah dude, I can practically sleep through anything. I’m supposed to take these pills for it but most of the time I don’t bother. They’re fucking huge man, like those horse pills. Blegh.” Dan shrugs, it seems simple enough. On another note, Arin looks gorgeous standing in his kitchen, hair all tied back, crunching on some peanut butter toast, and Dan wishes just for a moment that things were different.

 

***

 

Later on that day they decide it’s probably best that Arin goes back to his own apartment. They figure Mark’s already left and won’t be sticking around to give Arin a hard time. Dan stops at his mailbox because apparently the mail delivery service in L.A. has not stopped, not even for a giant fucking asteroid. Most of it is just letters from various companies telling him not to continue payments, which he and Linda stopped doing as soon as news of the asteroid got out. Apparently neither of them had a plan if the shuttle was successful, other than to probably pay everything they owed at once and starve for a bit. Dan sighs, he kind of misses Linda. She wasn’t a bad wife at all, she was witty and sarcastic, and she made a mean grilled cheese. He knows deep down that she loved him, but there was someone that clung to her heart just a little bit harder than he did, and he understands. Wherever she is Dan hopes she’s happy.  

 

There’s one letter though, that catches Dan’s eye. It’s bright red and has a stamp with an adorable kitten in the corner, it’s also from Brian. His hands are shaking as he opens it, and his eyes flick over it greedily.

 

_ Dear Daniel, _

 

_ By your lack of response I can assume only one of two things; either you did not receive my letter dated back about three months ago, or, you do not want anything to do with me. If it happens to be the latter I can only hope that you open this letter and know that I care about you deeply enough to accept this fact and let you know you’re a giant asshole. But I wish you all the best in the remaining weeks left of earth. _

 

_ Now if it’s the former I wish nothing but the worst on the person who prevented you from receiving it. I am tempted to summarize what I have written in my previous letter but I can’t bring myself to write the words again. Who knows when you’ll receive this, it could already be too late by then.  _

 

_ I miss your laugh, assclown. _

 

_ Brian Wecht _

 

_ P.S. I hope you like the kitten stamp it was the only one I had left. _

 

Dan blinks, a letter? He never received a letter from Brian before today. Fumbling for his keys he opens his mailbox again and peers into its empty depths. 

 

“Fuck!” He yells and slams the tiny door shut. 

 

“Are you okay, dude?” Dan jumps. Arin had been waiting patiently by his side while he read his mail, and now he’s still waiting while Dan has a breakdown over a three month old letter he never got.

 

“Yeah man, I- God okay. The love of my life sent me a letter three months ago that I never received and I think it had something important in it. But now the world is ending and there might not be enough time and I just- Gah!” Dan pulls at his hair. He can feel the corner of his eyes start to burn and desperately tries to blink back the tears. 

 

“Oh shit!” Arin’s face lights up and he bolts into his apartment. He comes back with a handful of mail in his right hand, and tries to hand them to Dan.

 

“What’s this?” He asks. Arin freezes and instantly looks guilty.

 

“Well, you know how the mailman sometimes puts the mail in the wrong box?” Dan merely nods. “Yeah this is about a year's worth of your mail, dude.” 

 

Dan’s eyes zero in on the stack the other man is holding out to him, and he spots the corner of a red envelope peeking out from somewhere near the bottom of the stack. Ripping the letters out of Arin’s grasp, he tosses them all on the floor except the red envelope which he carefully opens with shaking hands.

 

_ Dear Danny,  _

 

_ I hope this letter doesn’t find you too late. I know it’s been a long time but with the news of the asteroid I need to tell you something important. _

 

_ Do you remember all those years ago, we were juniors in high school sitting in your childhood treehouse? We laid there on a tattered old star wars blanket hand in hand, and we weren’t saying anything just basking in it. But then you turned to me and looked straight into my eyes. I could see your blush even there in the dark, and I hoped that we’d stay like that until we wasted away into the earth where we started. Neither of us said anything still and you put your hand on my cheek. Then in the quietest voice I had ever heard you use you told me something that I find myself presenting to be true, at least on my end.  _

 

_ You told me this: “I will never stop loving you. I don’t care what happens to us between now and the end of our lives. We could break up tomorrow and you’d still be what I thought about for the rest of my days. We could part after graduation and never speak again, find happiness in another soul but always wish it was you. You’re the best thing to happen to me, Brian Wecht.”  _

 

_ Of course I believed the same about you until we actually did part at graduation and never spoke again. I hated you very much for a long time, the thought of you made it very hard for me to find someone else. I traveled to London and I did meet someone who made me forget about you in the light of day. Her name was Rachel and I thought she was the love of my life, but loving her never stopped me from seeing your face when I shut my eyes.  _

 

_ News of the asteroid came but Rachel and I had already gone our separate ways for reasons unrelated to you. I went straight to my parents house where I still remain now, and if you still feel the same as you did all those years ago I hope that you’ll meet me in that treehouse once again. _

 

_ With all my love,  _

_ Brian Wecht _

 

There’s an inescapable feeling of loss that coats Dan’s entire being. This is all Arin’s fault, if he wasn’t so busy fucking around with his garbage boyfriend he would’ve actually delivered his mail, and Dan would die with the love of his life! God, he wants to rip all of his hair out and then strangle Arin. Dan turns to him, he sees Arin shrink back in shock, and he immediately feels bad. This isn’t actually his fault, how were either of them supposed to know Brian would write a letter in the age of texting and emails? Dan’s about to apologize to the other man before something that looks like half a bicycle crashes through the glass of the entrance doors to the building. 

 

“What the fuck?” They say perfectly in sync, and then proceed to burst out laughing. They’re cut short by Mark slamming out of Arin’s apartment and what looks like a stack of video games being shoved into a ratty backpack. The red haired man soon spots Arin and he starts frantically beckoning him over.

 

“Arin. Arin! We have to get out of here, people are going batshit crazy out there!” Dan looks to Arin but he’s already looking at him. There’s a look in his eyes that Dan can’t decipher, but before he can say anything Arin is sprinting back into his apartment and yelling at Dan to get Sorry from upstairs. 

 

***

 

Dog in hand Dan takes this moment to confront Mark. 

 

“Dude, what the fuck?” Mark turns to look at him, face void of emotion. 

 

“Arin totally went into the apartment not even half an hour ago, why didn’t you warn him sooner?”  The look on Mark’s face changes from feigned indifference to anger in seconds.

 

“Maybe if he wasn’t so busy fucking around with you then he would have heard the bullshit outside! It’s not  _ my  _ fault he wants to fuck some old man for hours on end!” Dan immediately starts laughing because what the fuck? And Mark’s face has gone two shades away from matching his hair. 

 

“What? You jealous that an old man’s got a better libido than you?” Dan asks and wiggles his eyebrows. Mark looks like he’s about to explode at this point. If this was a cartoon Dan imagines there’d be steam just shooting from his ears right now, it’s a hilarious thought. 

 

“Chill out, dude. Arin and I didn’t fuck, he slept on my couch all day while I pined for someone from my past.” This seems to make Mark relax, and just in time because Arin’s stepping out of his apartment carrying what looks like a Gamecube on top of a Nintendo 64, and a backpack that Dan assumes is full of video games is slung over his shoulder. He tosses his head toward the front doors as he walks by, and Dan catches the hint of a smirk on the younger man’s face before he turns forward and continues walking.

 

Turns out Arin parked like four blocks away so they’re making a mad dash through the rioters, while Mark is trying to beg for Arin back. It’s quite pathetic, moreso because Arin seems to be ignoring every word he says, eyes fixed in front of him as he dodges various obstacles that block their path. The younger man leads them down an alleyway that he deems a ‘shortcut’ but they’re shortly shot at from behind by a few men with guns and terrible aim. Mark takes this opportunity to grab Arin and use him as a human shield. This causes him to drop his game consoles, and Dan quickly grabs one of his now free arms and yanks him out of Mark’s death grip. 

 

They finally make it to Arin’s car and Dan tosses Sorry into the backseat while the younger man gets into the driver’s seat and tries to navigate out of the tightly packed parking space. Dan can hear the rioters shouts getting closer to them, and his stomach knots. Mark’s screaming for Arin to move the fucking car, and sure enough with a few slams into the parallel cars he’s got enough space to drive away. 

 

“Arin!” Dan yells. “Arin I know someone with a plane! If you get me to Brian I’ll get you there!”

  
He feels himself start to hyperventilate, but Arin swings open the passenger side door and before Dan can even get it shut they’re speeding away from the gunshots behind them, and from Mark. 


	3. Road Trip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “So you’re it then? Don’t look the type if I’m being honest.” Dan narrows his eyes, confused.
> 
> “Listen dude, I have absolutely no clue what you’re on about.” This makes Bob chuckle.
> 
> “I thought you’d kill me ages ago, way back when I first picked y’all up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find me on twitter [here](http://twitter.com/tinyvest)  
> and on tumblr [here](http://danny-avidan.tumblr.com)

“So do you really know someone with a plane, or was that a bullshit lie to get me to keep you alive?” After awhile of driving in silence Arin’s voice is a welcome sound. The thought of getting to see Brian again after all these years has him giddy, and he doesn’t want to dampen any chance of it getting to happen, so he tells the truth.

 

“Yeah no worries, dude. He’s in Jersey, just a few towns from where I want to go, so you get us there and you’ll get your plane.” Arin smiles at him, and Dan notices the blonde streak in his hair for the first time. It’s an odd hair choice but it oddly suits him in a way he can’t put his finger on, and he finds himself smiling back. Arin turns away from him to look back at the road, so Dan rests his head on the window a shuts his eyes in hope of sleep.

 

***

“Does this mean that the plane thing is a no?” Arin asks. There’s a slight tremble in his voice that makes him sound like he’s on the verge of tears. Dan shouldn’t feel bitter, it’s not like he’s trying to get home to his family for the last time or anything, he’s just going to Jersey on the off chance that Brian might still be there. Arin’s more important right now, but there’s nothing he can do about a car without fuel. Dan doesn’t look at him when he replies.

 

“Arin,” He sighs. “I think you should forget about the plane at this point.” He can hear Arin’s footsteps pause behind him, and the younger man’s breath catch on a sob. 

 

“Holy shit, I left Mark in the middle of a riot.” 

 

“What? That’s what you’re worried about right now? He used you as a human shield, man.” Dan can feel his anger rising. Mark was an asshole not only to him but to Arin too, and he doesn’t feel an ounce of guilt about leaving him there to run for his life. He glares at one of the tall white walls that line this part of the highway, and tries not to lose it.

 

“You don’t even know him! He saved our lives and we just left him there to rot!” Arin yells, and Dan whirls around.

 

“Yeah he did, but you? You ruined mine!” Dan shouts back, he can feel tears begin to sting the corners of his eyes, and he clenches his teeth to stop himself from angry crying. He sees his own emotions mirrored perfectly on Arin’s face, and he can tell that he’s about to get his ass torn out by this sailor moon t-shirt wearing man. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, he just prefers to be in unbruised glory if he gets to see Brian again, but Arin’s face kinda falls instead.

 

“It was that red letter I had wasn’t it? You love them, the person who wrote that letter, don’t you?” The younger man sounds devastated and Dan feels his muscles relax and his anger melt away in seconds. It’s really not his fault, Dan thinks. It’s the damn mailman’s fault for not doing his job.

 

“Yeah, yeah I do, and this was my last chance to see him again. It’s not your fault Arin, so don’t think for one second that it is.” Dan gives Arin what he hopes is a friendly smile, but all it seems to do is make the other man’s eyes well up with tears.

 

“Hey, hey-” Dan starts to say but Arin shushes him and mimes listening. It’s a car and it’s close. The younger man immediately sticks his thumb out with big fake smile plastered on his face. Dan seriously doubts it’ll work but Arin looks adorable with that look on his face so he sticks his out too with his own smile and prays to whatever is wherever that the driver stops. And by the luck of a thousand men as soon as the truck turns the corner it slows its pace to a crawl, and the driver rolls down the passenger side window down. 

 

“Where are y’all headed?” It’s a man who is at least ten years older than Dan wearing a ratty camouflage baseball hat, and a dirty t-shirt with jeans. He’s suddenly got a bad feeling about this guy but he thinks of Arin and presses on. 

 

“I know it’s a long way but we’re actually headed to New Jersey.” Dan says hopefully, and the guy grimaces.

 

“Furthest I’m going is West Virginia, that okay with y’all?” The man asks, and Arin immediately opens the door and hops into the middle seat. 

 

“Guess so.” He says and sighs.

 

*** 

 

They’ve been driving with this guy for at least thirty hours by now. All of them had been switching every five hours so the driver could get some rest and they’d make good time. Bob- the man who picked them up- took the long drive as an opportunity to share his entire life story, which wasn’t that exciting if Dan’s being honest. He’d lived that typical born and raised farm boy type life, with the sweet southern wife and the 2.5 little farm children. Then his wife died, all his children moved out, and here he is driving to spend the last few weeks of earth with his offspring. A typical movie story of you ask him, but it was easy to zone out and fall asleep to the sound of his voice until it was his turn to drive.

 

Now Arin’s story is more interesting to him for whatever reason, maybe familiarity, or just genuine curiosity. He was born and raised in Florida. Spent his free time drawing, animating, and, voice acting. Dropped out of highschool junior year to pursue something in voice acting. Started an animation Youtube channel while he was with his girlfriend Suzy, called Egoraptor and it got pretty famous. When he and Suzy broke up he stopped updating his channel for awhile and started a gaming channel called Game Grumps with his buddy Jon, but let it sort of die after his partner left to pursue other things. Since then he’s been voice acting for various cartoons and shorts on other Youtube platforms. That’s what Dan can remember anyways, he was passing in and out of sleep after driving for a solid seven hours because he wanted to give Arin and Bob some extra shuteye and missed some bits of it. It’s quite a deal more interesting than his own I smoked weed and fucked up my life for awhile life story, and he finds himself wondering what would have became of Arin if the world wasn’t going to end. He imagines Arin would’ve gotten picked up by a big company and whisked off into the world of Hollywood, he’s amazing at what he does. Well the voice acting anyways, it’s not as if anyone had thought to bring paper and pencil while running for their lives during a riot.

 

***

 

Dan’s at the wheel now while Arin’s passed out in between him and Bob. Despite having just driven five hours, the older man is wide awake and looks intent to say something to him. Desperate to avoid small talk he keeps his eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead. Thankfully this works and he hears Bob’s snores after a few minutes, so it’s just him and the classic rock station. And after about five songs that he knows off by heart he decides to sing along to the next one which happens to be Michael Jackson’s Rock With You. The song makes him forget all about the sleeping men beside him, and he starts to just belt out the lyrics as if he was singing it at home alone. 

 

“Dude, holy shit you can sing.” Arin says groggily, and Dan immediately shuts up.

 

It’s deathly quiet except for the faint sound of the song playing from the speakers. Dan doesn’t say a word even as Arin shifts until he’s sitting up to face him, and he knows that the younger man can see the blush on his cheeks. Trying to avoid eye contact with Arin by keeping his eyes fixed on the darkening road, he can’t help but glance over to see if he’s looking at him. The other man is giving him a look that Dan can’t seem to read properly before he catches his eye and gets this shit eating grin on his face.

 

“So,” Arin says, drawing out the ‘o.’ “That how you got, uh, whatshisname to suck your dick in high school? Sang him a little song and he fell at your feet?”

 

“Shut up, man.” Dan grumbles. 

 

“It’d work on me.” Arin shrugs. “I have an urge to suck you off right now.” 

 

“Shut the fuck up, oh my god.” Dan groans, and shoves Arin into where Bob is leaning his head on the window, sound asleep. They both freeze, waiting for the older man to wake up. When he only snuffles in his sleep, shifting a bit, both men relax. The conversation doesn’t continue after that. Dan can see Arin shooting him a glance every so often but he pretends not to notice, and continues to drive in silence.

 

***

 

They arrive in West Virginia with Bob at the wheel. The older man is whistling some sort of folk tune, as he pulls over onto the curb. Dan’s mildly confused on why they’re stopping, the only reason being that they had an agreement that Bob would at least get them somewhere they could get another car. He’s going to he fucking pissed if this guy gets in the way of Arin seeing his family again. See Dan’s close to his goal, to Brian, but Arin? Fucking miles away from his family, his baby niece for fucks sake, and so help him God if Bob doesn’t come through for them.

 

“Arin,” Bob says, turning to where the younger man is sitting fiddling with the radio. “Would you wait outside? I’d like to ask Dan something in private.”

 

Before Dan can say anything, the younger man is shoving him out the passenger door so he can wait around the back near a cherry blossom tree. Bob turns to him then, a strange glint in his eye.

 

“So you’re it then? Don’t look the type if I’m being honest.” Dan narrows his eyes, confused.

 

“Listen dude, I have absolutely no clue what you’re on about.” This makes Bob chuckle.

 

“I thought you’d kill me ages ago, way back when I first picked y’all up.” 

 

“What the fuck? Kill you? Dude, I’m not a fucking assassin.” Dan’s heart is going double time. This guy is losing his damn mind if he thinks that he’d be able to murder someone in cold blood. Hell, he cried when his dad accidentally killed his fruit fly when he was a kid. There’s no way in hell he’d handle serious shit like that, and he tells Bob exactly that.

 

“I don’t care how good you think your acting is, I can see right through your acting.” Dan rolls his eyes. 

 

“I do have one question though,” Bob says, jabbing his finger behind him. “Is he on your list too?”

 

Dan turns to see Arin still under the cherry blossom tree. Pale pink petals have fallen into his hair and onto his shoulders. He wants to go to him, brush the petals from his hair, and tell him what an idiot he is. Didn’t he see the flowers literally everywhere? He thinks he might press his lips to Arin’s cheek then, see the pretty pink blush on his cheeks. Brian’s all but a memory at this point.

 

“No,” Dan says faintly. “No he isn’t”

 

A shot rings out. Dan is out of the truck and running to Arin faster than you can say ‘baby bottle pop.’ The younger man is crouched by the tree, the magic of the blossoms lost. He places a hand on his shoulder in hopes that it will comfort him, but it only makes him curl further into himself. 

 

“There was a car,” Arin whispers, Dan has to strain his ears to even hear him. “It drove away after they- someone was trying to kill us.”

 

“Hey, hey, look we’re fine. None of us were shot or killed. I say that we should be lucky they’re a shitty assassin.” This earns him a laugh from the other man, but something clicks for Dan. Assassin. Shit, Bob.

 

***

 

Later on, after they found Bob bleeding in the driver’s seat of the car, a shovel in the bed of the truck, and buried, dug up, and then buried his body again; they’re finally on the road again. Arin’s at the wheel and he’s going at least thirty over the limit. When Dan had said something the other man pressed his foot firmed until he was going fifty over, but slowed back down when he saw the look of terror on his face. So now they’re just going super fucking fast, and are probably going to run off the road and die at any second. A siren blares to life behind them. That is, if the police don’t arrest them first.

 

“We can outrun them,” Arin suggests, and Dan screams for him to pull over. He thinks Arin’s ignored him but a few seconds later he’s pulling over, halfheartedly whining about Grand Theft Auto. He rolls down the window and plasters on a sickeningly sweet, and totally fake ass smile.

 

“Hello officer,” he pauses, looking for a name tag. By the sound of his hesitation Dan guesses the officer isn’t wearing one. 

 

“Do you realize you were going thirty over the legal limit tonight, sir?” Right to the point then, they’re not getting out of this one.

 

“Only thirty? Damn, I  really thought I was making better time than that.” He points his thumb at Dan. “Gotta get this one to his high school sweetheart. Yanno, before we all die by asteroid? Can’t you just let it slide, this one time, officer?” 

 

“Remove yourselves from the vehicle.” Dan groans.

  
  
A few mugshots later, they’re sitting in a jail cell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if cherry blossoms actually grow in Virginia, I'm Canadian. Sorry for the late update I have a passion for art which is probably better than my writing. Next chapter we get into the juicy stuff?


	4. Jailhouse Rock

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now he just wants to scream watching him cook eggs like it’s a natural thing for him to be doing for them, he wants it to be like this forever. Dan would eat scrambled eggs every damn day for the rest of his life if it meant waking up with Arin every morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized while writing this chapter that I forgot the restaurant scene but I'm not to broken up about it. Also you can find me on tumblr [here](http://danny-avidan.tumblr.com) and on twitter [here](http://twitter.com/tinyvest)

A few mugshots later, they’re sitting in a jail cell. Well, separate jail cells. The cop who arrested them decided they were best kept apart. Arin’s locked away alone while Dan shares a cell with a young kid named Kevin. The kid’s wearing a giant sign that says ‘THE END IS NIGH’ and the older man doesn’t really feel so pissed about their own arrest anymore. At least they were actually speeding, this kid was just telling the damn truth. Dan sighs, and not too long after he hears Arin sigh in response.

 

“I fucked up, dude. You’ll never see-” He growls in frustration.

 

“Brian,” Dan replies. “His name is Brian.” 

 

“You’ll never see Brian again.” He croaks. “He’s the love of your life, I fucked up so bad, man.”

 

“Hey, Arin, buddy, pal. You didn’t fuck up, how were you supposed to know that cop still takes his job seriously?” 

 

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

 

“Besides,” Dan starts,  _ I’m worried I’m falling in love with you. “ _ I’m worried about you getting to see your family again. We’re close to the plane but we need to get you  _ on _ that plane, that’s what matters right now.” 

 

Arin turns to look at him through the bars of his adjacent cell, and gives him a watery smile. He looks nearly identical to how he looked that first night on the fire escape. Hair all a mess, eyes bloodshot, the whole nine yards. It seems like such a long time ago, like things were only mildly fucked then. Unlike sitting in a jail cell, staring into the tear filled eyes of the man who wormed his weird ass way into your heart. The man who you’re going to have to let get onto a plane. The man, who once that plane leaves the ground, you’ll never see again. The thought of that makes Dan’s breath catch in his throat, and he reaches between the bars to grasp Arin’s hand. He never wants to let go.

 

***

 

Hours later Kevin is passed out on the cell bench, sign still attached to his person, and snoring softly. Dan and Arin are sitting back to back the cell bars between them. There’s just a hint of the larger man’s body heat seeping through to his own skin and it feels nice in the frigid air of the cell. They had stopped holding hands long ago when it became hard to keep their hands clasped and sit comfortably. They haven’t said a word in hours but Dan is incredibly content to just sit here in silence until their end, he’s made his peace with it. 

 

It doesn't hit him until another hour of sitting there with a numb ass that Arin hasn't made peace with it. They have to get  the fuck out of here. If not for Arin alone but his tiny baby niece that's waiting to see her uncle for the first time. Dan jumps to his feet and starts hollering at the top of his lungs.

 

“Get us the fuck outta here!” Kevin startles awake, and Dan kicks the set of bars closest to him. 

 

“Dude, what the fuck?!” Arin shouts at him, but he ignores him and continues yelling. 

 

The commotion must catch the attention of the next officer on shift, because the door opens shortly after Dan slumped to the floor crying after just straight up screaming for nearly a minute. Said man is too upset to notice that Arin has stopped trying to comfort him from his own cell a few feet away, he just keeps his head down and eyes to the floor. He doesn't register anything said in the next few minutes but is aware of the sound of keys rattling just above his head. Dan’s head snaps up and he jumps to his feet. Wiping away his tears he exits his cell and pulls Arin in for a hug, crushing the larger man’ s body against his own. They’re going to Jersey.

 

*** 

 

Since they weren’t allowed to have Bob’s truck back, the nice officer, Sean, is only able to drive them a few towns over, near the New Jersey border. Someone Arin knows lives in this town, and he says she’d be able to give them a car they could take the rest of the way. It’s not a long drive, maybe an hour at most, and it’s only mid morning by the time they pull up in front of a homely looking white house. The house is in the middle of the suburbs, but the streets are dead, almost abandoned looking and it fills Dan with dread. 

 

The world is actually ending and to top it all off the woman who comes to greet them is totally gorgeous, and sporting an identical blonde streak to match Arin’s. She’s got that effortless makeup look paired with long dark hair, and stylish casual clothes to pull it all together. How Arin, who’s still wearing his pink Sailor Moon t-shirt and sweatpants, knows someone like this he has no idea. The confusion must show on his face because Arin’s face morphs into a sheepish grin after he gives the woman across from him a tight hug.

 

“Danny, this is my ex girlfriend Suzy. Suzy, this is my best friend for the end of the world.” The introduction makes Suzy laugh, and it’s a very pretty sound that Dan wishes he could hear again very soon. 

 

“Hey Danny,” she says grinning over at him. “Any friend of Arin’s is a friend of mine, c’mere.” 

 

The hug she pulls him into is deliciously warm and affectionate. It’s like being hugged by his mom again, and she’s immediately too good for the likes of Arin. How could a man in good thought leave someone who gave hugs like this? If Dan wasn’t trying to get Arin across the world he’d try and knock some sense into the man. He immediately misses her warmth when she lets him go, to lead them into her house. The basements been converted into some sort of apocalypse bunker, and she tells them that there’s enough food to last three months after the world goes to shit. There’s also an offhand remark about there being a working telephone. Dan knows Arin doesn’t miss this because soon after that he’s waiting with Suzy while the other man cries on the phone with his family. 

 

“Dan,” Suzy begins. “What are your intentions toward Arin, because there’s a space left in here and I’d like him to fill it.” Dan can read between the lines, ‘a space’ means that there’s no place for him here, that he should leave Arin here with her. 

 

“I,” He begins. What does he tell her? I’m in love with a man much younger than myself? I’d willingly give up the chance of seeing a man I thought was the love of my life if Arin could see his family just a little bit longer? No, he can’t say any of those things because that would be selfish of him, if he has any chance at all of survival then he wants the younger man to take it.

 

“Nothing,” he says then, giving Suzy a tight smile. “Nothing at all, just friends.” 

 

***

 

Turns out Arin has no problem asking his ex girlfriend for a car, promising to come back, then driving away with Dan without so much as a hug goodbye. Which is probably why they’re crossing the state border into Jersey just a few hours later. The drive was uneventful, but Dan worked up the courage to ask Arin how young the other man really is, sort of. The older man had actually said ‘How young are you really, man because I don’t want to be in-’ before he cut himself off, and refused to say another word for the rest of the trip. He never got an answer. 

 

It doesn’t take long until they’re pulling up outside Brian’s childhood home, just a few blocks away from where Dan’s own parents used to live. Nervousness hits him then. What if it was trick and Brian didn’t actually love him or want to see him again? What of he thinks Dan got ugly? What if Brian tricked him into coming only to tell him how much of a shitty person is for never trying to find him? Dan’s hands are shaking, and he’s on the verge of tears.

 

“I’m thirty.” Arin says suddenly, staring right into Dan’s eyes, confusing him. “You asked me earlier remember? I’m thirty, not that much younger than you dude.”

 

“Uh,” Dan says stupidly. “Alright.”Arin shakes his head with a sigh. 

 

“Do you want me to come to the door with you?” He asks then. Dan shrugs, he’d forgotten to be nervous when Arin started talking to him.

 

“Sure, if you want.” 

 

Nobody answers the door when they ring the doorbell, nor when they try knocking. Dan is getting increasingly more frustrated with each minute they stand there waiting for someone to answer. Tears are threatening to spill again, and it’s already dark out so there’s no point in continuing to drive, so he tries to doorknob. The door opens easily into a fairly large house. It looks exactly like Dan remembers, everything is in the same place, even the photos of Brian throughout the years on the wall leading upstairs. He’s aware that Arin’s following him as he climbs the stairs to find Brian’s old bedroom. Everything’s practically been cleaned out of his room, the only Brian thing left about it, is the photo of the two of them from prom night, They didn’t go together, people weren’t really all that cool with two dudes going together back then, but they did take a shitload of photos like they were. In this particular one he’s holding Dan bridal style while he laughs his ass off, he remembers Brian saying that it was his favourite. Putting the photo down, he grabs for Arin’s hand and leads him back downstairs. 

 

There’s some food left in the fridge that isn’t totally disgusting, and Arin makes a delicious smelling red sauce pasta that he scarfs down like a dying man. There’s probably sauce on the corners of his mouth but he’s never felt more content than sitting here on the floor of Brian’s livingroom at the coffee table eating vegetarian spaghetti with Arin. Who won’t stop talking about his favourite video games, and he doesn’t really mind. The way his face lights up and his eyes shine makes Dan wish they could just stay here, he’d give everything up to spend a bit more time with Arin. It’s a sobering thought, giving everything up for one person.

 

“Dan?” Arin asks suddenly, and Dan snaps back into reality.

 

“Yeah,” he clears his throat. “Yeah?”

 

“I asked you why you weren’t going to see your own family.” Ah, here it is. Dan’s been waiting for this question ever since Arin talked about his own life in the car with Bob.

 

“Well, they’re dead.” He says bluntly and doesn’t any more on it, he doesn’t think he has to judging by the way Arin’s face drops.

 

“Oh shit, dude I’m sorry.” Arin reaches across the table to take his hand. The younger man’s hands are clammy but they feel nice against his chilly skin.

 

“I have a sister Dana, but we lost touch years ago. She didn’t approve of my marriage to Linda. I don’t blame her now that I think about it, she was a cheating scumbag. I wouldn’t even know where she is at this point.” Arin nods sadly, and grips his hand just a bit tighter.

 

Dan sleeps in Brian’s room that night, he doesn’t even think about sleeping anywhere else. He set up Arin in the guest bedroom that he himself had never slept in, but figured the other man would prefer that to sleeping in Dan’s high school sweetheart’s parents’ bed. It’s hard to fall asleep when thoughts are swirling around his head. If Brian wasn’t here then where was he? He said in his letter that he was staying with his parents but they weren’t even here in their own home. They were supposed to meet in his treehouse and be totally gay or some shit. But he isn’t so sure if Brian’s the one he wants to be gay in a treehouse with anymore, his thoughts slide to Arin.

 

They only met a short while ago but the chemistry they shared between them made Dan feel like they’ve been friends for years. It was very easy to care for the man when he was incredibly warm and funny. He was also very passionate about things he both enjoys and hates respectively. On a particularly long stretch of highway Arin had ranted to him about why Majora’s Mask was better than Ocarina of Time, and why the latter game isn’t the best one out of the entire series. Dan of course had listened with rapt attention, the Zelda series was one he always enjoyed and he could tell that Arin had a lot of love for both games despite his ranting. The glow around the younger man was there then too but Dan’s eyes weren’t open to it, not like now where the sun was second best. 

 

He shifts onto his side, and his eye catches on a piece of paper sticking out of Brian’s bedside table. Turning on the lamp next to him he pulls it free. It’s an old pamphlet from their senior prom, and Dan’s heart grows heavy. He knows then, looking at those faded black letters that his heart will never belong to Brian like it once did. Conveniently finding a pen inside the drawer her flips over the pamphlet and begins to write.

 

***

 

“Can we make a quick stop?” Dan asks the next morning while Arin fries some- hopefully not expired- eggs on the stove.

 

“Yeah sure dude, no problem.” Arin yawns widely. It’s the best sleep they’ve both gotten since before fleeing their apartments. Morning Arin is incredibly adorable, when he first walked into the kitchen with his hair all mussed, eyes still half shut, a lazy smile on his face Dan thought his heart was going to leap out of his chest. Now he just wants to scream watching him cook eggs like it’s a natural thing for him to be doing for them, he wants it to be like this forever. Dan would eat scrambled eggs every damn day for the rest of his life if it meant waking up with Arin every morning. 

 

“I can feel you staring, Danny.” Arin teases, jutting his hip out. “You like what you see, babe?”

 

Dan feels his face heat up, and he wants the floor to open up and swallow him whole. Thankfully Arin hasn’t turned around to see what a mess he’s making him.

 

“Only in your wildest dreams, baby.” He croaks out, hoping it sounded more snarky than it actually did. 

 

Arin sighs, mock forlornly. “You’re right, Daniel. In fact, I dreamt of your dick in my ass just last night.”  Dan chokes on his own spit. 

 

“Pardon?” He wheezes, and Arin turns around. There’s a plate of scrambled eggs in his hand and he’s got an evil smirk on his face.

 

“You heard me.” He answers, placing the plate of eggs in front of Dan with a wink. Dan wishes he would just melt into the floor. When Arin sits across from him with his own plate, the older man pointedly avoids eye contact and just concentrates on eating. The rest of breakfast passes undisturbed.

 

***

 

The drive to his house is like driving through a dream, he’d know the way there even in complete darkness. Nothing has really changed since he lived here last, some of the houses have had a newish coat of paint, and some of the lawns have gone brown but it’s relatively unchanged. It makes his heart ache dully, and for a moment he’s sixteen again, Debbie driving him home after a night over at Brian’s house. The ache lessens but he wishes he told his mom how much he appreciates everything she did for him, especially during high school, or even asked for Dana’s number before she died. There’s nothing he can do now but leave this place behind for good, stop letting it haunt him.

 

“Do you want me to come with you this time?” Arin asks, a fake looking smile on his face. They’re in front of Dan’s old house now, and his eye catches on a shadow move past one of the upstairs windows.  _ No,  _ he thinks.  _ Because I’m coming back to you. I love you. _

“Nah,” he says loftily and gets out of the car. 


	5. Beach Date, The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s a part of him that knows that no matter how serious a tragedy is, it doesn’t make love at first sight real. Hell, he doesn’t even believe in fate, but he can’t help but think about that old lady on the beach, and he knows with every fibre of his being that Arin is the one he never thought he’d find. The one he thought he had in Brian, and thought he found in Linda, and they have no time left. Sometimes a tragedy is what it takes to find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter guys, this was a journey if there ever was one. I've never actually written a fanfic this long and I'm pretty proud of myself for sticking with it til the end. As always you can find me on tumblr [here](http://danny-avidan.tumblr.com) where I blog and make art about game grumps.

The walk to his own front door where Brian may be staying are the most nerve wracking steps he’s ever had to take, and this is coming from a guy who graduated both high school and college. He knows that he’s not going to knock, he’s going to place the letter in the door then leave like nothing ever happened. Glancing back at the car he sees Arin clutching Sorry to his chest and crying? Dan turns back to the door, stuffs the letter in the door, knocks quickly then makes a run for the car. Thankfully he left the car on idle so they’re off the curb and driving away before Dan can even look back. 

 

“Well?” Arin demands. “Was he there or not?” 

 

“Yeah, yeah I think so.” He shrugs, smiling a bit.

 

“What?” Arin stammers for a few seconds. “Why didn’t you wait for him to answer the door, you idiot? You said he’s the love of your life how could you leave that behind?” Dan can hear the catch in Arin’s voice; he’s going to cry.

 

“I left him a letter, he’ll understand, he’s good like that.” Dan says softly. “It’s okay Arin, I made this decision awhile ago. Don't sweat the small stuff, baby.” 

 

Dan places his hand on top of where Arin’s is sitting on the center console and squeezes it. When he feels the other man squeeze back a few minutes later he knows that he’s okay, and he puts his hand back on the steering wheel. He’s made his decision, and there’s nothing that can change his mind now.

 

***

 

It’s taking longer to get to the plane than Dan initially thought it would. So long that Arin’s now at the wheel while they’re driving along the coast. The reflection of the sun in the water is blinding, and the water looks a bit on the chilly side but he’s got this urge to jump in anyways. The sun has been hot on his skin all morning and there’s nothing he’d enjoy more than to get burnt to a crisp on a sandy beach somewhere before they die.

 

“Hey Arin?” Dan asks, turning his body to face the man in the driver’s seat.

 

“What’s up?” Arin pops the ‘p’ obnoxiously. 

 

“Let’s go fucking swimming before we don’t have time. Let’s just have a blast today, we’ll get to the plane by the evening and we’ll send you off early morning.” 

 

“Uhhhh,” he says, taking his eyes of the road to give Dan a strange look. The car swerves slightly bringing the older man’s eyes to the road where a small family is crossing to the nearby beach.

 

“Arin!” Dan yelps, fingers digging into his thighs where he’s gripping them tightly, heart beating out of chest. There’s nowhere for Arin to go so he swerves the car into the shallow ditch. His hands are shaking as he shifts into park and turns the car off. Dan wants to reach out, hold Arin’s hand, give him the same comfort that he himself craves, but instead he gets out of the car. 

 

The beach is lined with hundreds of people, some families, some couples, some individual people. All of them are waiting to be baptised in the water by what Dan assumes is a priest of whom is standing with a family of three in the knee high water a few feet from shore. The scene brings this inexplicable feeling of peace within Dan, like somehow all these people coming together like this means they’re going to be alright. Logically he knows a congregation of people isn’t going to deter a giant fucking asteroid but he’d like to live in the ignorance for a little while. It makes him feel brave, so he reaches out and finds Arin’s hand. He wasn’t entirely sure the younger man actually followed him out of the car, but the weight of his hand is solid against Dan’s; he feels invincible. 

 

The next moment where Dan’s at a standstill of just how brave he’s really feeling, is awkward. But one look at Arin’s glowing face, the ocean breeze blowing his soft brown hair into his eyes, he’s the most beautiful thing that Dan has ever had the chance to lay eyes on. Nobody will ever make his heart beat as fast at this man beside him. In less than two weeks he’s more in love with Arin than he’s ever been with anyone else, and he can’t help but turn to him. Arin’s already looking at him, a grin spreading across his face slowly; he’s leaning in close, and Dan can see every ounce of affection returned in his eyes. Heart pounding in his chest he meets him halfway. The kiss is chaste and short but Arin’s lips are soft and warm against his own. Toes curling in his sneakers it feels like his very first kiss all over again, he can feel Arin’s lips curve into a smile under his own, and he returns it in kind. When they part they’re both grinning like idiots, but Dan wouldn’t have it any other way.

  
  


They decide to stay amongst the other people on the beach. Everyone has congregated into small groups scattered around the sand, and they’ve let Sorry off his leash to greet the handful of people sitting around on a circle of logs. The little dog takes immediately to one couple’s little girl, she can’t be more than two or three but she squeals in delight when the dog starts excitedly licking at her cheeks where she’s smeared jam all over them. Their company is incredibly kind, one elderly woman in particular who tells them she knew as well when she found the love of her life. They laugh at this, saying they’ve only known each other a short time, brought together by tragedy. 

 

“Sometimes that’s what it takes.” She says with finality, a knowing look in her eye. 

  
  


Later on, after they’ve had their time being idiots in the surprisingly warm water, they sit on a towel in the sand, Dan in between Arin’s legs, back resting against his chest. He smells oddly like licorice and a bit of sweat. The sun has passed it’s peak in the sky, they don’t have much time left on the beach, so Dan snuggles further into Arin’s arms. He’d be incredibly happy if they could stay like this a little while longer but they still have an hour drive ahead of them and Dan’s going to get cranky if he doesn’t have something to eat pretty soon. 

 

“What’s this person’s name anyways? The one with the plane I mean.” Arin asks as he helps Dan to his feet.

 

“Vernon.” Dan replies. “He’s owed me a favour for like five years but I never needed it until now.”

 

“He could’ve forgotten by now, Danny.” Arin points out.

 

“I’ll break down his damn door, Arin. I’d do anything for you. Let’s get Sorry and go.” He trudges off in search of their dog.

 

***

 

They’re both silent for the rest of the drive. For most of it Dan thinks Arin is mad at him, but the other man laces their fingers together when they pass the town sign, and he breathes out a silent sigh of relief. He didn’t mean to be so short with Arin back on the beach he just wanted him to know that it didn’t matter to him if Vernon forgot because he didn’t and he’s going to get that damn favour if it’s the last thing he does.

 

They come to a stop outside a soft yellow house, the acres of green fields behind it seem to go on forever. Vernon’s car is parked out front which is pure luck, if Dan’s being honest he thought the man would've made the trip to see his mom by now, it’s not like he had to worry about missing any planes or anything. He sighs, at least Arin will get to see his family again, lucky for him. There’s a large part of Dan that doesn't want to let Arin go now that he just got him. He doesn't want that kiss they shared on the beach to be the only memory he has of them like this. So he laces their hands together while they walk up the gravel driveway, and squeezes it when he knocks on the door. They’re going to do this, Arin’s going to do this, and Dan’s going to let him go. 

 

When Vernon opens the door and gets a good look at who’s on the other side his immediate response is to slam it. Luckily Dan is able to shove his foot in the door at the last second, wincing when it crushes his foot a bit.

 

“Go away.” Vernon says, voice slightly muffled by the wood.

 

“You owe me a favour, Vernon Shaw.” Dan growls. “You better come through for me, now more than ever.” 

 

“That was five years ago, man.” He whines, but opens up the door fully. The man looks the exact same as the last time Dan had seen him, he’s just a bit thinner in the face. Arin steps in the house before him, smiling and pushes his hair behind his ears. He looks completely at ease even at the initial reluctance from the man before them.

 

“So who’s your friend?” Vernon asks, quirking an eyebrow. There’s a hint of a smirk playing at the edge of his mouth, and Dan wants to roll his eyes; instead he clears his throat obnoxiously.

 

“Uh, Arin this is Vernon. Vernon this is Arin.” Vernon accepts Arin’s outstretched hand.

 

“Hey Arin,” The man says slyly, side eyeing Dan. “I’m Dan’s gay lover.”

 

It’s clear that he’s trying to antagonize him but being the man Arin is he doesn’t miss a beat.

 

“Funny, thought that was me.” Arin retorts, turning to Dan with a look of mock sadness on his face. “Or did our kiss on the beach not mean anything to you.” Dan stifles a laugh at the look of absolute shock on Vernon’s face.

 

“Oh.” Vernon says weakly.

 

“Whatever man,” Dan says, with a wave of his hand. “I need to talk to you, alone.”

 

The other man nods and points him in the direction of the living room, then points Arin in the direction of the dining room where he says he can wait with Sorry. When he returns he looks apologetic, more like the man Dan knew before their falling out. It makes him miss their close friendship, the one where they’d send each other emails every day. The one where he could tell him anything and trust him not to tell his wife, the one that went to shit because of just that, he told his wife about Brian. She wasn’t mad, but she was probably already cheating on him by then. The damage was done though, he didn’t get angry at the other man, he didn’t spill one of his secrets, no, he asked for a favour. That was five years ago now but if he knows one thing it’s that Vernon is a man of his word when it comes to favours, Dan’s never been betrayed in that aspect.

 

“Is he actually your boyfriend?” Vernon asks, and Dan sighs.

 

“I don’t know.” And he doesn’t, he doesn’t know what they are. Arin’s leaving in the morning, there’s no time to figure it out.

 

“Well he should be,” He replies. “Now go on, tell me the favour you so desperately need.”

 

“I need you to fly Arin to London, tonight. But when he falls asleep, that way he can’t say no, and he will say no because he’s selfless. Probably the most selfless man I know actually.”

 

“Is that what you really want, Danny?” Vernon sounds genuinely concerned.

 

“No but I can’t be selfish,” Dan looks directly at him. “Please help me with this.”

 

He nods once.

  
  


The rest of the night is pretty fun. Arin teams up with Vernon to make dinner. Dan watches them laugh and joke from the doorway. If things were different, he thinks, maybe they’d be doing this somewhere else in another time, but as friends instead of forced company. Maybe they’d pick Game Grumps back up, and Dan would ask Barry to edit their videos. He distinctly remembers Ross from Barry’s party bragging about how many games he has on Steam, so maybe he could join them too. Suzy could even come too, he saw her 3DS in that bomb shelter basement of hers. They’d be a big happy family in another time, with another ending. 

 

They laugh over their dinner of homemade red sauce pasta- again, not that Dan’s complaining- and he catches Arin’s eye across the table. He’s got a fond sparkle in his eye as he sips the water in his glass and it makes Dan’s heart swell fondly. They also play at least fifty rounds of Mario Kart on Vernon’s Gamecube, the game is actually Arin’s but since he had to abandon his own console near the beginning of their journey they use Vern’s instead. Frankly it’s hilarious how worked up Arin gets when something doesn’t go his way, Dan swears that the man was going to throw the controller in frustration when he was hit by a blue shell, thus losing his first place spot. It’s the hardest he’s laughed in a very long time, and he wonders how Jon could’ve let something like this die with someone like Arin as his partner. But overall the night is incredible and soon Arin is passed out on the couch.

 

“Are you sure he’s not going to wake up?” Vernon whispers as they bring him to the plane parked a few metres from his back door. It’s one of those small planes that can only fit a single passenger that isn’t the pilot. 

 

“Dude, the first time I met him he slept the entire day and I was doing the loudest shit to try and wake him up. He said he takes meds for it or something, relax.” He lifts Arin into the passenger seat and buckles him up with Vernon gets situated on the other side. Dan brushes the hair out of Arin’s face, his face is really sweet and peaceful looking when he sleeps. He’s still the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, and he knew it from that first night on the fire escape. There’s a part of him that knows that no matter how serious a tragedy is, it doesn’t make love at first sight real. Hell, he doesn’t even believe in fate, but he can’t help but think about that old lady on the beach, and he knows with every fibre of his being that Arin is the one he never thought he’d find. The one he thought he had in Brian, and thought he found in Linda, and they have no time left. Sometimes a tragedy is what it takes to find them.

 

“You,” Dan whispers then. “Are it for me, there’s nobody else but you.” 

 

Placing a gentle kiss on the younger man’s forehead, he shuts the door, and watches as Vernon starts the plane. The man in the passenger seat doesn’t stir once, even as it makes a terrifying sound that Vernon fixes with a flick of a few switches on his side. The pilot give him a final glance, Dan nods once, mouthing ‘thank you,’ and watches the plane until he can only see the lights in the night sky. He tries very hard not to cry as he packs up Arin’s backpack, and grabs Sorry from where he’s sleeping on the couch where Arin just was. 

 

By the time he get’s back to L.A. there’s only seven days left, and the television is still on when he unlocks his apartment door. 

 

_ Once again,  _ the reporter says.  _ CSA’s latest report reveals that ‘Matilda’ will be arriving one week ahead of schedule. The point of contact is sixteen hours, twenty six minutes away, so be sure to mark your calendars. Also a friendly reminder to set your clock ahead for daylight savings time. Spring forward, that’s one hour ahead. On a personal note: this is my final broadcast. Our final broadcast. On behalf of myself, producer Bruce Hammond, and everyone here at the network; we bid you all a fond farewell. It has been my pleasure to bring you the news for the past twenty seven years. Tonight I’ll be sitting across the dinner table from my wife Helen, and we’ll be talking about our sons: Henry and Paul. And we’ll be saying our prayers for each, and every one of you. Goodnight, good luck, and God bless. _

 

The reporter promptly leaves his desk, and the screen goes blank. He then decides he doesn’t want to spend his last 16 hours without Arin somewhere where there’s not a single piece of evidence of him. So he climbs down the fire escape and hops through the unlocked window with Sorry. Here there’s remnants of Arin everywhere, shirts thrown on chairs, half done drawings all over the table, shelves and shelves of video games for every console imaginable. Even the decoration screams Arin, including the nice plush carpet in his living room. Tears are blurring his vision before he can make it any further than the living room, so he accepts defeat and stays; turning on what he assumes is Mark’s vinyl player and lies down on the carpet.

  
  


He lays there for hours feeling like an idiot. Who lets the love of their life get on a plane and leave when the world is about to end? Stupid idiots, that’s who. He moves his hand to Sorry’s fur and the feel of another sentient being grounds him. The dog’s asleep like they aren’t going to die in 16 hours while listening to some shitty record. God, what a way to go; horribly alone listening to whatever the fuck this is. 

 

Dan pulls himself up off the floor to shuffle over to the box of records in the corner. He’s only halfheartedly looking when he spots a Pink Floyd album. He glances up at the title before he puts the needle down and scoffs. ‘Wish You Were Here,’ of fucking course. Placing the needle on the spinning record, he settles back down beside Sorry, and waits to die without Arin. 

 

The record plays through twice as he lies there. It’s halfway through the title song for the third time, when the apartment goes dark and the music does that thing where it sounds like it’s possessed. Dan groans and goes to light some candles. They give off a kind of glow he’d consider romantic if he wasn’t so horribly alone. Sorry whines in the next room and Dan laughs at the irony.

 

“Me too, buddy.” He says to the little dog, but Sorry doesn’t even acknowledge his presence he just stares ahead of himself and continues to whine.

 

“What is it?” He follows the line of his stare and there he stands. Arin looks just as beautiful as the night he saw him crying on his fire escape. 

 

Dan feels his heart drop into his stomach but he pushes that feeling aside and replaces it with pure relief. He came back, Arin came back when he could’ve spent his last minutes with his family. Chose to come back to his nearly forty, loser neighbour he just happened to travel a few parts of America with. Dan’s shocked but he’s desperately trying to drink the sight of Arin in. The man’s got dried tear tracks on his face, and his hair is a mess, but Dan feels this overwhelming sense of affection for that particular look. There are words burning the tip of his tongue, but before he can say anything Arin sniffs.

 

“How could you let me go, asshole?” 

 

“I-” Dan chokes out. “I don’t know, I’m so stupid.” They both rush forward at the same time, collapsing into each other’s arms. They clutch at each other tightly, neither of them wanting to let go.

 

“I woke up,” Arin croaks after a few minutes. “I made Vernon take me back.”

 

Dan doesn’t say anything, he just pulls Arin tighter against him, and presses a kiss to the side of his head.

 

***

 

“Don’t let me fall asleep, okay? Promise me, Danny.” Arin says after awhile of them laying in bed together. They’re both on their sides facing each other and Dan is stroking his fingers through Arin’s hair rhythmically.

 

“I promise.” He says calmly. They have barely any time left, the two of them. No time to look reflect back on their lives, on past lovers, their families, their friends, the risks they never took, their regrets. But Dan doesn’t care about that because Arin looks so beautiful in the pale candle light, and he’s going to use this time to tell him what he feels, how he feels. Nothing matters but the man before him, nothing else will matter but what he gained from this.

 

“What about your parents?” Dan asks then. “Didn’t you tell them to expect you?”

 

Arin’s eyes are full of tears when he answers. “They’re stone cold romantics, they’ll understand. My parents were made for each other, if they know that I stayed here to have something like them then they won’t mind. I just want to be with you.”

 

“I want to be with you,” Dan croaks. “More than anything.”

 

“This is going to sound cheesy.” Arin says. “But I couldn’t live without you, Danny. No matter how long, I just couldn’t handle that shit.” 

 

“What do we do now?” Arin asks after Dan is silent for too long.

 

“Nothing,” he replies. “I just want to lay here with you, nothing else matters at this point.”

 

Arin sniffles, and a few tears make their way down his face. Dan doesn’t brush them away, he wants to keep him grounded, keep him talking to distract him from the distant rumbles Dan can hear in the distance.

 

“Talk to me.” Dan says. “Tell me about your family, your brother, your baby niece.”

 

“Well,” He starts. “My mom has a horse therapy ranch that she uses to help veterans, and people with mental illness make it easier to try and heal. My dad is a musician, he inspired me to get into music but I wasn’t that good at singing.” Arin chuckles.

 

“My brother is the oldest out of the two of us, he just had a baby with his wife recently. Her name is Penelope, after his wife’s stillborn sister.” Arin gasps in fear as there’s a louder crash, this time closer.

 

“Oh god. Danny,” Arin says frantically. “Danny, I wish I met you a long time ago, when we were kids.”

 

“It couldn’t have happened any other way, baby.” Dan says softly, thinking of the old lady again, and the beach and how beautiful Arin was by the water. How beautiful he is right now. 

 

“But we need more time, Danny.” Arin whimpers. “There isn’t enough time.”

 

“There never would’ve been, Big Cat.” Arin smiles at the nickname. Dan gave it to him that day on the beach, when he played an animal noise game with that couple’s little girl. He had blushed when Dan said but quickly became fond of it. Another crash sounds out behind them, and Arin shifts closer. They’re nearly nose to nose now.

“I’m scared.” Arin gasps out, his tears are coming more steadily now.

 

“I am fucking madly in love with you, Arin Hanson.” Dan says, next. “You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me, my favourite, favourite mistake.”

 

“I thought that somehow we’d find a way to save ourselves, Danny. I don’t want to leave you.” Arin is incredible, and good, and Dan wouldn’t give up the past two weeks for anything else in the world,

 

“We did,” Dan whispers. “Arin, listen to me.”

 

“I am.” Arin whispers back.

 

“You, Arin Joseph Hanson,” Dan says to him as the light from the window behind him grows quickly brighter, they have mere seconds now, he has to tell him. 

  
“You are the absolute love of my goddamn life.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all folks!

**Author's Note:**

> Edit: this is complete! I recommend the movie 100%


End file.
